Knicks welcome Lin back on Monday

NEW YORK — Jeremy Lin was barely hanging on to an NBA job when he stepped on the floor at Madison Square Garden last February.

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By The Associated Press

recordonline.com

By The Associated Press

Posted Dec. 17, 2012 at 2:00 AM

By The Associated Press

Posted Dec. 17, 2012 at 2:00 AM

Lin statistics

Knicks (last season)

G Mpg. Ppg. TO Apg. Rpg.

35 26.9 14.6 3.6 6.2 3.1

Rockets (this season)

23 32.4 10.8 2.7 6.0 4.0

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Lin statistics

Knicks (last season)

G Mpg. Ppg. TO Apg. Rpg.

35 26.9 14.6 3.6 6.2 3.1

Rockets (this season)

23 32.4 10.8 2.7 6.0 4.0

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NEW YORK — Jeremy Lin was barely hanging on to an NBA job when he stepped on the floor at Madison Square Garden last February.

He returns Monday (7:30 pm. MSG) having proven he's a legitimate starter and sometimes star, capable of energizing a franchise and a fan base, a player who saved his team's season and was rewarded with a lucrative contract.

Linsanity was short but spectacular last season, and even the Knicks' locker room is filled with Lin admirers. Yet on the court, his old team hasn't missed him at all.

"What he did was amazing. I mean, I was watching every game," Knicks point guard Raymond Felton said. "He was hitting game-winners, he was doing all that. He was amazing. But it's time to move on. We're 18-5, whatever the record is, we're 10-0 at home, so no need to talk about that no more."

Lin will make his lone New York appearance this season with the Rockets, who threw big dollars at Lin in July and were maybe just as surprised as so many others when the Knicks let them have him. The Knicks could have kept Lin simply by matching the Rockets' offer, which was widely considered to be a foregone conclusion.

Instead, they traded for Felton, and signed Jason Kidd and Pablo Prigioni, and nobody can argue now. The Knicks are the best in the league in taking care of the ball — a Lin weakness even during his highest point — and they have the best record in the Eastern Conference with Felton and Kidd starting together in a two point guard backcourt.

"I'm not taking anything away from what we had last year, those guys gave us all they had, but to win at a big level in this league you've got to have good point guard play. I think Jason Kidd and Raymond and Pablo have filled that void that we were somewhat missing last year," Knicks coach Mike Woodson said.

Former Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni was booed when he returned Thursday with the Lakers, but the Knicks think Lin has earned and will receive a huge welcome back.

"I think that he touched a lot of people who are going to be in the stands," said Steve Novak, one of Lin's best friends on the team. "There's going to be some people come to see Jeremy, there's no doubt about it, because he did have an incredible run and touched a lot of their lives, and a lot of little kids got Lin jerseys and stuff like that. So I think it was tough when he left for all those people that have those jerseys and stuff, but they remember how much fun it was when he was here."

It wasn't long. Lin ended up needing knee surgery in March that ended his season after just 25 starts. Woodson had insisted Lin would be back, even after Lin and the Rockets had agreed to a contract that was worth about $28 million over four years. The terms were then amended to about $25 million over three years, the final year worth nearly $15 million but would cost the Knicks more than twice that in luxury tax payments under the harsher penalties in the new collective bargaining agreement.

So they let him go, and so far Lin has had some solid moments, but few that indicate he could turn into a $25 million player. He did match his career high with 38 points in a recent loss to San Antonio and helped the Rockets rout the Knicks in Houston last month, but was averaging about 11 for the season while shooting under 40 percent from the field and even occasionally replaced by backup Toney Douglas, another former Knick, in the closing minutes of close games.